Charity begins at City Hall

A City Council proposal to make city contractors disclose all of their charitable giving is proving controversial even before it's been heard.

The proposed ordinance, written by Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke, says contractors that don't disclose all of their giving  in Chicago and elsewhere  can lose contracts with the city.

A spokesman for Alderman Burke (14th) says the ordinance would lead to greater recognition of charitable gifts and also give the council more information about the civic endeavors of companies who seek to profit through business with the city.

"People come to us asking to become city depositories or to be involved in bond issues, and we don't know what their corporate stewardship is," the spokesman says. "This might spur some to consider doing more."

But critics say the measure, if passed, could easily be abused.

"Look, this is Chicago, not some ethical utopia," says Jay Stewart, executive director of the Better Government Assn. "A contractor could sit there and go, 'Gee, maybe there are some charities that are smiled upon by City Hall that I should give to, and maybe there are some that aren't smiled upon that I shouldn't give to.' "

In a statement, Mr. Burke scoffs at the suggestion that the ordinance could be used for anything other than demonstrating corporate citizenship. "There is far less likelihood that any abuse will take place because the information will be made available for both public inspection and for media scrutiny," the statement says.

Major city contractors and members of the council's Finance Committee have differing views on the ordinance.

Alderman Joe Moore (49th) says he is inclined to support it as a means of encouraging corporate giving. And a spokesman for Exelon Corp., which the ordinance cites as an active corporate donor, says the Chicago-based utility already makes its charitable giving public and doesn't mind additional disclosures.

But a spokesman for Bank One notes that tax records detailing charitable grants are already publicly available through the Internet. "It's important to balance urging people to give without creating additional paperwork," he says.

Alderman Bill Banks (36th), a member of the Finance Committee, says "giving is a personal decision, even at the corporate level, and I'd be reluctant to support something making it public."